Friday, April 11, 2008

India Will Limit Rice Exports...

First it was lentils, and now it is rice...

The International Herald Tribune reports that, "Vietnam and India on
Friday tightened limits on rice exports, joining Egypt and Cambodia in
trying to conserve scarce supplies for domestic consumption at the
risk of triggering further increases in global rice prices, which have
roughly doubled since the start of this year.

Soaring prices for rice, a staple for nearly half the world's
population, are already causing hardship across the developing world,
particularly for urban workers. Together with rising prices for other
foods, from wheat and soybeans to pork and cooking oil, higher rice
prices are also contributing to inflation in many developing
countries."

When my family and friends from India visit the US they always talk
about how Basmati rice, cashews and some other staple products, that
are grown in India are very expensive in India and sometimes not even
available domestically, because most of the best quality produce is
exported to the US. This has been going on for a while, it was just a
matter of time before it became necessary to make a rigid move like
this.

Read the IHT article at--
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/28/business/rice.php

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